Fair lead construction



0d; 1, 194Q. RK FAIR LEAD CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 29, 1940 5Sheets-Sheet 1 mm um Q Q Q m s INVENTOR w fiera/o C/a/"k ATTORNEY Oct.,1,' 1940; a. I. CLARK FAIR LEAD CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 29, "1940 sSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fiera/c/ C/ar'k ATTORNEY Oct. 1, 1940. s. CLARKI FAIR LEAD CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed .Jan. 29, 1940 INVENTORGare/d (la/k BY New m muwrmn ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 1, 1940 r'rem"orrice FAIR LEAD oonsraoorron 1 Gerald 1. Clark, Mountain View, Calif.,assignor to Wooldridge Manufacturing Company, Sunnyvale, Calif acorporation of Nevada i Applicationlanuary 29, 1940, Serial No. 316,134

6 Claims. (Cl. 254-190) This invention relates generally to winch unitsof, the typemaking use of a plurality of parallel drums for winding upor playing out separate ropes or, cables. More particularly, theinvention relates toan advantageous multiple fair lead construction formultiple drum. winch units adapted for attachment to present-daytractors for operation of various equipment such as road makingmachines, hoists, scrapers, earth movers,

and thelike. i

It is an object of the invention to provide a winch unit having animproved fair lead construction for use with ,a pair of adjacent winchdrums so, that relative turning movement between the draft and-drawnvehicles and so that the respective cables are maintained sub-stantiallyin alignment with the respective. fair leads.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fair lead constructionof the character referred to whereinthe fair leads are movablewithgrelation to the winch. drums in response to relative turningmovements between the tractor and the equipment being drawn thereby.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fair leadconstruction of the typereferred to wherein'the fair leads for adjacentdrums having vertically disposed axes on a draft vehicle are movabletogether about a pivotal axis located in an optimum position withrespect to the axes of the drums to accommodate relative turningmovement of the draft and drawn vehicles. W

Other objects-ofthe invention will appear from 3 the followingdescriptionin connection with a preferred embodiment of the invention asshown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure lis aside elevational view illustrating a winch constructionincorporating the present invention. v

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the winch construction taken in aplane indicated bythe line 2-2 in Figure 1 and illustrating variouspositions-of the fair lead unit. I

45 Figure 3 is a detailed *elevational view of the fairlead unit, theview being indicated by the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear .elevational view of the winch unit, the viewbeingtaken as indicated by the 50 line 4+4 inFigurel.

Figure 5 is .a sectional detailed view illustrating the pivotalmountingof the'fair lead unit, the

view being taken in a plane indicated by the line f 5-5 in Figure 4. 55Figure 6 is a detailed sectional viewof a fair lead sheave, the Viewbeing taken as indicated in the line 6-45 in Figure 1.

The winch construction illustrated in the drawings is of the generalcharacter disclosed and claimed in Hutchins Patent No. 2,171,792,granted 5 September 5, 1939, and entitled Attachment for tractors andthe like, as modified in my copending application Serial No. 305,224,filed November 20, 1939, for Winch construction. The winch unitdisclosed in the present application has two 19 drums controlled from asingle lever, and in conjunction with such two drums one or moreadditional drums can be employed for handling supplemental ropes orcables. The cables are all trained around respective fair leads mountedfor 15 swinging movement as a unit with respect to the winch unit.

, Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the winch unit'is designated generallyat Ill, andis shown applied as an attachment to a tractor The unit it-20 self includes a housing H. which carries the winch drums A, B, and C.The housing I2 is bolted to an adapter l3 which is suitably mounted on aportion M of the tractor from which a drive shaft it extends. Thehousing |2 can be made of suitable material such as cast steel andincludes a central portion l8 and side extensions l9 in which similarworm gears 2| are mounted to be driven by a suitable worm on shaft I5.

Drum A is mounted upon one of the extensions [9 of the housing and issuitably driven from the associated worm gear 2| by clutch mechanism(not shown) and also having brake mechanism indicated generally at 22.Both the clutch and brake mechanisms are controlled by means ineludingan operating lever 23.

Drums B and C are mounted on the other ex- 'tension H) of the housingand are also driven through suitable respective clutch mechanisms fromthe worm gear 2| associated therewith and 40 have brake means 24 and 26associated therewith. The clutches and brakes for the drums B and C maybe selectively controlled by means of operating lever 21 throughsuitable operating connections 28 and 29. For the purposes of thepresent invention it is sufficient to understand that by a suitablemanipulation of levers 23 and 21 any one of the drums A, B or C may beselectively controlled to either play out or to wind up cable.

As seen in Figures 1 and l, respective drums A, B, and C have respectivecables 3|, 32 and 33 wound thereabout. The cables 3|, 32 and 33 for therespective drums are trained over respective fair leads of a fair leadunit generally indicated at 34 in Figures 1 and 3. As will be describedlater in detail, the fair lead unit is mounted for pivoting movementrelative to the winch unit to maintain proper alignment of the cableswith the fair lead sheaves during relative turning movement between thetractor and the drawn equipment. As seen in Figure 3 the fair lead unitmay comprise a base plate 36 having upstanding U-brackets 31 and 38secured thereon as by welding to provide journals for the respectivefair lead sheaves 4|, 42, and 43. Preferably, the lateral spacing ofbrackets 37 and 38 is in the order of the shortest distance between themean wound diameter of the respective adjacent drums A and B. In thisway an optimum relation is provided for the average wound condition ofthe drums. A typical sheave construction is illustrated in Figure 6wherein sheave M is shown journalled by bearings 44 upon a stub-shaft 48having its ends secured in bosses GT suitably attached to U-bracket 38and pinned therein by means of locking pins 48.

As seen in Figure l, the base plate 36 of the fair lead unit may befabricated and includes a channel-shaped supporting arm 5! having a boss52 (Figs. 1 and 5) at its forward end which may be pivotally mounted ina supporting bracket 53 suitably secured upon the winch unit. As shown,the bracket 53 is provided at one end with forward upstanding flange 54which is fastened to the winch unit by means of certain attaching bolts56 to the adapter I 3. The rearward end of bracket 53 has an upstandingplate 51 forming the cover plate for the central portion iii of thewinch unit housing. It will be understood that the method of securingthe bracket 53 on the winch unit or upon the tractor is merelyillustrative and other means may be employed. At its rearward end thebracket 53 is recessed to receive boss 52 of the supporting arm which isjournalled by means of bearings 58 (Fig. 5) on vertically disposedstub-shaft 59 suitably secured in bracket 53 and locked with respectthereto by pin 6!.

The pivoting of the fair lead unit 34 by means of shaft 59 provides anaxis of pivotal movement thereof which is located in an optimum positionto maintain the cables in proper alignment with the respective fairleads. The desirable axis location lies substantially in a planeperpendicular to and bisecting a plane containing the axes of the winchdrums A and B. The axis location is also preferably located rearwardlyfrom the plane of axes of the winch drums at a preferred distance to besubstantially in a vertical plane tangent to both mean wound diametersof the drums A and B. Thus, even with extreme turning movements up toand of swinging' movement of the fair lead unit, the cables willmaintain their trained relation with respect to the fair lead sheaves asseen most clearly in Figure 2.

In Figure 2 the straight ahead position of fair lead unit 34 isindicated in full lines while two somewhat extreme turning positionsthereof are indicated at 34a and 3422 respectively. It is seen that withthe axis of pivotal support of the fair lead unit located in the regionof the bisecting and tangent planes previously referred to, that theangular displacement of the cables from the central planes of theirrespective sheaves is slight and well within the limit of angulardisplacement which would cause disentrainment of a cable from itssheave.

In operation the respective cables 3|, 32 and 33 are attached to theirdrums A, B and C and trained over the associated fair leads and thenceto suitable sheave located on the drawn equipment. As the tractor turnsthe relative turning movement between the tractor and the drawnequipment will cause swinging of the fair lead unit possibly up to 90 ineither direction from its straight ahead position. Because of suchswinging movement of the fair lead unit about a pivotal axis in theregion of the optimum location specified, the cables are maintained onthe fair leads and any misalignment of the cables with respect to thefair leads is insufficient to cause disengagement of the cablestherefrom. Usually, in the extreme turning position, the cables are notoperated although this can be done if desired.

I claim:

1. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, meansmounting said drums upon parallel vertical axes, cables on said drums, afair lead for each of said drums, and common mounting means for saidfair leads including an arm pivotally mounted on a vertical axissubstantially symmetrically disposed with respect to the respective axesof said drums and spaced rearwardly from a plane containing said drumaxes a distance substantially equal to the mean wound radius of saiddrums.

2. A winch construction comprising a housing and at least two winchdrums mounted about parallel vertical axes upon said housing, cables onsaid drums, fair leads for each of said cables, a supporting bracket forsaid fair leads mounted on a vertical axis symmetrically disposed withrespect to the respective axes of said drums and spaced therefrom in thedirection of the outward extending portions of said cables a distance inthe order of the mean wound radius of said drums.

3. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, meansmounting said drums on parallel axes, cables on said drums, a fair leadfor each of said cables, and common mounting means for said fair leadsincluding an arm pivotally mounted on a vertical axis, said axis beinglocated in the region of the intersection of a plane parallel to andsymmetrically related to said drum axes and the tangent plane to themean wound circumferences of said drums.

4. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, meansmounting said drums on parallel axes, cables on said drums, a fair leadunit including two parallel fair leads for the cables of said two drumswith their central planes spaced apart a distance in the order of theshortest distance between the mean wound circumferences of said drums,and mean-s mounting said fair lead unit for swinging movement about anaxis parallel to said drum axes and symmetrically related thereto, saidaxis of swinging movement being substantially in a plane tangent to themean wound circumferences of said drums.

5. A winch construction comprising at least two winch drums, meansmounting said drums on parallel axes, cables on said drums, a fair leadunit including a bracket and two parallel fair leads for the cables ofsaid two drums mounted on said bracket with their central planes spacedapart a distance in the order of the shortest distance between the meanwound circumferences of said drums, and a supporting arm for saidbracket mounted for swinging movement about an axis parallel to saiddrum axes and symmetrically rebeing substantially in a plane tangent tothe mean wound circumferences of said drums.

6. A winch construction comprising a housing and at least two winchdrums mounted about parallel vertical axes upon said housing, cables onsaid drums, a fair lead unit including fair leads for each of saidcables, a supporting bracket for said fair lead unit mounted on saidhousing about a vertical axis symmetrically disposed with respect to therespective axes of said drums and spaced therefrom in the direction ofthe outward extending portions of said cables a distance in the 5 orderof the mean wound radius of said drums. GERALD I. CLARK.

